As you start and grow your 501c3 organization, there will be times when you need some type of support or assistance. There are many different networks throughout the US that provide such support. Below, we provide a listing of the main types of networks, and a description of how your 501c3 may benefit from each type of network.

Funder Networks are networks of organizations and individuals whose efforts benefit a particular cause. You can use such networks to build professional relationships and to increase your understanding of current trends affecting a particular charitable area.

Regional Associations are groups of foundations, corporations and individuals which are set up to serve a particular geographic area within the United States. You can generally find regional associations in most geographic regions.

Academic Centers of Philanthropy are associated with institutions of higher education and provide a significant number of resources to charitable organizations. These centers are set up to build the charitable sector by educating, informing and assisting those who are involved in the nonprofit sector.

Philanthropic Support Organizations provides a wide variety of tools, services and products that are beneficial to the charitable community.

Nonprofit Policy Organizations focuses on the impact which policy have on philanthropy.

Nonprofit Infrastructure Organizations provide services designed to help nonprofit organizations succeed.

You can find many of the networks at this link.

Looking for a grant is a job as big as applying for a grant. As of today, there are approximately 1.4 million tax exempt organizations, over 100k of them are private foundations. Private foundations mainly exist to give out grants to individuals and other nonprofit organizations.

Private foundations should be one of your main targets for grant funding. Once you locate several foundations that you believe are a good fit for you, you must study their grant guidelines carefully before you make any efforts to apply. Here are a few tips on what to pay attention to in the guidelines to determine that you are eligible for the grant.

Eligibility. This section should describe whether the foundation is giving grants to individuals or organizations. It should also list specific geographic areas that the applicant should be operating in. If the foundation funds charities in Chicago and you are serving Atlanta, don’t waste your time on this grant application.

Areas of Funding. Study carefully what fields of service they fund. This section should clearly describe what programs and projects the foundation favors. For example, it may say that grants are awarded to athletic programs for underprivileged youth, GED programs, youth centers, etc.

The Purpose of the foundation. Make sure that the funder shares similar goals and beliefs with your organization. If the grantor’s purpose is to put an end to homelessness and your charity provides mentoring and assistance for the homeless to gain employment, then you have a good chance to get this grant.

Grant amount. This will give you a good idea about the size of grants. If the foundation typically funds small local projects, and you are trying to get funding for a back to school program, then it is definitely worth applying for this grant. On the other hand, if you plan on building an orphanage in Africa and need $1m for the project, you might have no luck with this grantor.

Limitations. Most funders will provide information on what they will not fund. It can be educational loans, travel grants, religious projects, conferences and meetings, special events, etc. Some grantors specifically require that the funds cannot be spent on management-related expenses.

“Grant funds are committed”. If you see this statement in the grant guidelines, that generally means that the foundation is only assisting the same charities that it has a relationship with year after year and doesn’t accept new proposals.

“No unsolicited proposals considered”. You should not submit a proposal or grant application until you have met with a representative of the foundation and he/she showed interest in your program.

The Grant deadline. Give yourself plenty of time to meet the deadline. Grant applications submitted late are generally not accepted.

Almost every household in the US has at least one computer/laptop or a smartphone. Therefore, having up to date technology is very important for nonprofit organizations for effective communication with donors and grantors. There are a few companies that assist charities with their technology issues and needs.

Techsoup. This company offers consulting on computer equipment and technology. They also provide free and discounted software and hardware to nonprofits;

Ebase provides a free community relationship management software for nonprofit organizations. With their software you can manage your donors base, financials, volunteer pool, and events & campaigns;

Idealware is a nonprofit organization which provides education and resources to other nonprofits on how to use technology to reach out to the community and manage the organization efficiently;

Network for Good provides charities with tips on how to plan effective and successful fundraisers, increase social media and mobile giving. The website also offers free useful guides and templates that nonprofits can use in their day to day operations;

Npower is a nonprofit with a two-fold mission: the first program provides a skills-based volunteering program connecting technology professionals with other charities and schools and the other program provides technology training to underprivileged youth and veterans. Thus, if your nonprofit has specific technology needs, they can link you with a tech specialist who can assist.

Foundation Center offers a variety of educational resources on seeking funding. Besides learning about grant writing basics, you may also sign up for free webinars and bootcamps on how to maximize social media impact, optimize collaboration, and improve your fundraising skills. The website also contains valuable budget and grant proposal templates;

Nonprofit Tech for Good. The website educates nonprofits on hundreds of available low cost or free online tools and applications, such as Storify, Statigram, Tapfunder, etc. Even if you find just a few of them that match your organization’s needs, that’s worth exploring.

Your 501c3 organization can make a big splash in a small pond. You must be very focused on one or two niches to make a big splash when you have a limited budget, limited personnel and limited volunteers. You must be extremely focused in finding your target and staying focused on it.

Why choose a Niche to focus on?

When you focus on a niche, you learn the needs of a particular market very well. You understand how to reach the particular market.

Your 501c3 will gain credibility and your reputation will be solidified much quicker than being a general 501c3.

You set yourself apart from other 501c3 organizations in the market place. Individuals in your target market will always think of your 501c3 whenever there is a reasonable match or need.

You will get more access to the target market. Word of mouth will spread the name of your organization and you will start to develop deeper relationships to those in the particular community.

Your organization will be one of sharpness and in-depth knowledge. When you choose a specific market to serve, you gain insight and understanding that other more general nonprofit organizations do not have.

Which niche should you focus on?

Be original. Find a niche that has few participants. If you can find a niche that is not served at all, this would be ideal. When you are the only one in the market, you will be very attractive to the individuals in the market.

Reachable. Focus on a market which you will be able to reach. If there is no way to reach the market which you are targeting, that particular market will never learn about your organization’s activities.

Sizeable. As you are focused on a particular market, make sure that the market has a large enough population to justify the resources, time and effort that you will be putting into your services and activities.

Trustworthiness. You will be offering services and activities to the participants. Will the participants have confidence that you can truly offer the services and activities as you indicate? You must be sure that you can gain this trust.

Long term impact. 501c3 organizations are set up for a specific cause and to change things. Make sure that you niche is one that is open to this long term impact and that your organization is focused on changing things.

Funding. Will you have funders to support your cause? Funders like to support causes with long term impact as indicated above. Funders are not keen on supporting ideas which appear to be personal projects.

The Houston Flood Relief Fund has just surpassed the $13,000,000 mark in fundraising as of 9/1/17. The Houston Flood Relief Fund was set up to provide much needed assistance to the victims of Hurricane Harvey. This fund was organized by JJ Watts (Houston Texan – NFL Football Player). Using the very known brand of JJ Watts, the Houston Flood Relief Fund was able to successfully raise a lot of money in a short period of time and will be able to assist a lot of Houstonians.

Well known individuals are often able to use their brand to help a particular charitable cause.   However, there are many other ways of boosting the success of your charity.

The Break-Offs. We’ve set up many ministries which have broken off from churches. We’ve seen many of these organizations get off to a good start immediately, with a participant base, programs and funding in place on day one. The support was already part of the pre-formation entity. We’ve seen similar results from after school programs being set up separately from affiliated schools.

Growth through the social network. One of our clients has over 100,000 social network followers and his 501c3 is in constant demand. The program offers kids educational programs and the nonprofit is able to leverage the great program with lots of social media exposure. As you meet more individuals during your programs and activities in live sessions, you have a greater opportunity to obtain more social network followers.

501c3 set up for a specific grant. There are programs which provide funds for meals for kids of low income families. These grants are offered by government as well private foundations. Many 501c3 founders do their research prior to setting up the 501c3. Upon obtaining 501c3 status, the organization immediately applies for and obtains funding for providing meals for kids. There are grants and funding opportunities in many areas available to 501c3 organizations.

Free Google Advertising. There are some small organizations which have been able to obtain in excess of $100,000 per year in free google advertising. To receive such free advertising, you must have services and programs which you can advertise and get good results from your audience. There are also many other opportunities in the market for in-kind donations.

A few large funders. Your organization may be fortunate enough to come across one or two foundations or other large donors. These large donors are likely to know other potential large donors and will often make the introduction for you. Even one small private foundation may contribute over $100,000 to one particular 501c3 public charity. Seek private foundations which focus on your particular cause.

Combining program service revenues and contributions. Having a diverse source of income is a plus for any 501c3 organization. We have a client which offers an aviation program and charges small fees for some of its activities. Having a program which brings in income is a plus as you can cover the cost of the program. If the participants are really satisfied with your program, many participants will make a contribution to your organization in addition to paying for a specific activity.